1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support member for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising a housing for receiving an airbag for a motor vehicle, the housing being fixed to the member by at least one fixing means which extends through a hole of the member and which is fixed to the housing.
The invention also relates to a dashboard panel comprising such a support member and a motor vehicle comprising such a dashboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motor vehicle dashboard panels generally comprise a housing for an airbag at the passenger side in order to protect the passenger in the event of an impact against the motor vehicle. The housing is fixed, for example, by means of screws, to a support member which forms the body of the dashboard panel around an opening which is formed in the support member in order to leave a passage for the airbag when it is deployed.
However, during the deployment of the airbag, the gas which allows the airbag to inflate increases in pressure inside the housing and tends to apply forces to the walls of the housing which become deformed under the action of these forces. These deformations affect the means for fixing the housing to the dashboard and place significant radial stress on the screws.
In this manner, the support member often breaks in the region of the fixing means, which can be dangerous for the passenger if pieces of dashboard panel are projected into the passenger space of the motor vehicle.
In order to overcome this disadvantage, there is provision to add means for fixing the housing to the support member in order to distribute the forces applied by the housing of the airbag and to reduce the stresses applied to each fixing means. According to another solution, the housing of the airbag is strengthened by the addition of reinforcement components which are fitted so that the housing is subject to less deformation during the deployment of the airbag.
However, such solutions are costly owing to the addition of fixing or reinforcement components and bring about a significant addition of mass to the dashboard panel, which is counter to the objectives of the motor industry to reduce the mass of a motor vehicle.
One of the objectives of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages by providing a support member of the above-mentioned type in which the deployment of the airbag does not place significant stresses on the fixing means of the housing, without the addition of fixing means or reinforcement members on the airbag housing.